Marry Me This Year?
by Miss Ginevra Magdalene Darcy
Summary: Eponine attends a work function on New Years Eve with her fiancé. Just a little New Year one shot.


**I figured since it was New Years Eve and I haven't written a fanfiction in a while let alone a Les Miserables one, I'd write this little one shot quickly - I hope you like it and have a wonderful New Year! xx**

Éponine never understood the point of celebrating New Year, it wasn't a chance to start over with a clean slate, it wasn't anything really, just the passing of time just like any other night. However for reason on New Year's Eve, everyone dressed up and danced and threw parties. It was the same every year. This year, however, was different for Éponine. This year she wouldn't be robbing the empty houses that people left, taking advantage of those who got careless in their excitement for the evening or hiding out from her father in the cold.

"Éponine," Cosette sighed, "please sit still! I need to do your makeup, then my own, before the boys arrive."

"Sorry..." Éponine whispered letting her blond haired childhood enemy come friend brush powder on her face lightly. She hated relying on someone else to do something for her but makeup really eluded her having never had any need of it until she was engaged to Enjolras - what with all his parties and work functions that he had to attend and he always took her along with him (there's was no way she could ever accuse him on being ashamed of his low-standing fiancée).

"How much time do we have?" Éponine asked when Cosette finished with her own makeup and they were helping each other with their dresses.

Opening her mouth to respond, Cosette was cut of by a knock on the door.

"None, it would appear," she smiled, laughing slightly and pulling Éponine out of her and Marius' bedroom to go let her husband and Éponine's fiance in.

Marius and Enjolras worked at the same firm and tonight, New Year's Eve, was their party. Éponine would rather have spent the evening in the Cafe with the rest of the Les Amis but Antoine said that this was something that he had to attend and Éponine didn't want to spend New Year without him even if she wasn't in the company of the Grantaire, Combeferre, Joly and the rest of their group of friends.

"Hi, love!" Marius said joyfully as he was let into his own home, kissing Cosette gently. "You look beautiful!"

Éponine smiled, shaking her head, knowing Marius wouldn't notice her standing there right now when he was too enthralled by Cosette. Enjolras, her darling Antoine, however had eyes only for her. A soft smile on his face, he strode over to her, dropping a kiss on the corner of her mouth. She hugged him tightly - it had been about a week since she had seen him but he had promised to be back by New Years Eve and he never broke his promises. His returning embrace was just as strong and she buried her head in his shoulder.

"I missed you," she whispered,

"I'm back now," he assured her and she looked up at his chiseled face and brushed a golden curl from his vision. Pushing herself up, she kissed him properly.

"We should get going," Marius' voice interrupted them and Enjolras pulled back, keeping a tight arm around Éponine's waist.

It was a short walk from the house to the party - Marius' hated commuting for work and therefore paid that extra price to live near the firm - but for Cosette in her higher heels that Éponine would even consider, it still wasn't ideal. They were greeted gleefully at the door with a round of good wishes and then were ushered in a large dinning hall where the rest of Marius and Enjolras' co-workers were gathered. Éponine had attended many parties with these people this year with Antoine and so she knew many of them and the majority knew her.

There was Monsieur Fabion Henry who was an elderly man who really hated her and had a white goatee but he was also Enjolras' boss so she had to be as civil with him as her exploding temper would allow her to be - Antoine usually tried to keep her away from him as much as possible just so she didn't get him fired. On the other hand, there was a lower class person who had tireless fought to get into university but had finally made it Monsieur Triston Bouvier and he was always trying to flirt with her. It got so bad that it almost made her physically sick - she made sure to stick to Antoine like glue if she saw him though with him it was Enjolras who had to control his temper. Luckily Monsieur Bouvier was the only one like that and Monsieur Henry was only one who really despised her. Others looked down on her for sure but they weren't as obvious or as cruel about it. No-one could hate Cosette however - beautiful and charming and well placed in society as she was.

The party went quickly - a meal at which Éponine was situated between her fiance and another employee of the firm who had no grudge for or against her, which was nice but still slightly awkward. The food however was her saviour, she still wasn't used to such lovely food and her body was only just filling out from it. Her face less pointed, her cheekbones less prominent and you couldn't see her ribs. Enjolras had pointed out recently that she had dimples when she smiled. The meal was followed by dancing and then finally a speech by the Monsieur Henry.

"Okay, okay, settle down for a second!" he waited until his employees and their families quieted down. "As very few of you know, I am retiring tonight - today was my final day of work" (there was a moment when the crowd muttered and looked around in surprise; neither Marius or Antoine seemed to have any clue this was happening) "So of course I have been discussing with a few of you who should take over my position and where better to announce it than here on New Years Eve - 10 minutes to the 1st of December.

"I have given it a great deal of thought and have decided that the person, the man, who is most qualified and will do this job to his utmost is Monsieur Antoine Enjolras." - Éponine turned towards her shocked fiance and beamed up at him - "I'm not going to get him up here to give a speech for a few reasons; first, I've only just announced it so he's had no time to prepare, we all know how Enjolras likes to prepare and secondly, we all know how much he likes to give speechs and how long he can go on for when he gets going! So I wish you all the best for the New Year under new leadership and, Enjolras, don't let me down."

"No, sir," Enjolras forced out and then Monsieur Henry stepped down, received his well-deserved round of applause (hating of Éponine he may be but he was still a damn good lawyer) and that was the end. Everyone else went back to the party but Enjolras, Éponine, Marius and Cosette all stood in silence.

"Antoine?" Éponine asked softly, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him quickly (Enjolras wasn't a fan of public displays of affection) "I'm so proud of you!"

He grinned down at her, finally coming to term with the news and the two Pontmercy's congratulated him as well. Before they knew it, everyone was starting to countdown towards midnight. Cosette was ready, wrapped in Marius' arms and Éponine watched as all the couples gravitated together. It was beautiful really even if she didn't understand the celebration. She was so engrosed in everyone else that she jumped when Enjolras rested his arms over his shoulders. He chuckled lightly.

"5"

"4"

"3"

"2"

"1"

"Happy New Year!" was the generalised outcry from Enjolras' colleges but he whispered something else in her ear. "Want to get married the year?"

She turned around, beaming at him. They had only been engaged a few weeks and had done no talking about the wedding or when it would be - to be fair they'd hardly seen each other since that day, which was saddening enough as it was.

"A very happy new year!" Éponine beamed, spinning around in his arms to kiss him.


End file.
